Panellists will engage in a comprehensive examination of the distinctive case of Moldova, a nation that faces increasingly strained relations with Russia. They will delve into Moldova's enduring energy dependence on Russia, Moldova’s refugee crisis, and complexities associated with Transnistria and its current unresolved status.
The panel’s analysis will provide valuable insights into the relationship between Moldova and Russia and the legacies which make the former particularly fertile ground for Russian influence. Attendees will also gain an insight into Moldova’s keen desire to join the European Union, especially in light of the war in Ukraine, and the potential obstacles standing in its way.
Meet the speakers and chair
Ana Revenco (@RevencoAna) has taken over the security portfolio since August 6, 2021, after being appointed as Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova. She previously served as an adviser to President Maia Sandu in the field of national security and as Secretary of the Supreme Security Council. Being an expert and international consultant on fighting human trafficking and related crimes, she served as executive director of the International Centre "La Strada Moldova", a nongovernmental organization focused on human rights. Revenco has also served as the head of the Centre for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings of the General Police Inspectorate (GPI).
George Scutaru (@NSC_Romania) is one of the founders and CEO of the New Strategy Center. He started his professional career in journalism, as an editor of a press agency, then as a press correspondent to Moscow, before he became the director general of a press monitoring and consultancy agency. Between 2004 – 2014 he was member of the Romanian Parliament, in the Chamber of Deputies. In that period he successively held the positions of Secretary (2004-2008) and Vice-Chairman (2008-2014) of the Committee on Defense and National Security. Between 2014 – 2015 he was national security advisor to the Romanian President. George graduated from the History Faculty at the University of Bucharest and holds a master’s degree in International Relations. He also graduated from the National Defense College and the National Intelligence College, as well as attending training courses and programs at the NATO College of Rome, the G.C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies and the US State Department.
Iulian Groza (@grozaiulian) is a former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova responsible for European Integration (June 2013 to February 2015). Before that, he served in different capacities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, including as Director General at the Directorate for European Integration. He was also posted to Brussels at the Moldovan Mission to the EU. Mr. Groza was a member of the Moldovan negotiation team of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement and led the Moldovan Task Force in the EU-Moldova Visa Liberalization Dialogue. He is currently the Executive Director of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE). Mr. Groza is a Ph.D. candidate at the Moldovan State University and holds a degree in law. He also did postgraduate European Studies at Birmingham University and NATO Security Studies at the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA) in Bucharest.
Leon Hartwell (@LeonHartwell) is a Senior Associate at LSE IDEAS and a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington DC. His research interests include conflict resolution, genocide, diplomacy, democracy, the Russia-Ukraine war, and the Western Balkans. Previously, Hartwell was the Senior Advisor of the Central and South-East Europe Programme (CSEEP) and the 2022 Sotirov Fellow at LSE IDEAS, and CEPA’s Acting Director of the Transatlantic Leadership Program. From 2012 to 2013, he was also the Senior Policy Advisor for Political and Development Cooperation at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Zimbabwe, where his work included government and civil society engagement, political reporting, peace building projects, and supporting human rights defenders. In 2019, Hartwell completed a joint doctoral degree summa cum laude at Leipzig University (Germany) and Stellenbosch University (South Africa). His thesis analyzed the use of mediation in the resolution of armed conflicts. Hartwell has published extensively in professional scholarly outlets and mainstream media ranging from the Negotiation Journal (Harvard-MIT-Tufts) and Oxford University Press to War on The Rocks. He speaks Afrikaans, English, Dutch, and Latvian, which he studied at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute.
More information about the event
Event hashtag: #LSERussiaUkraine
LSE IDEAS (@lseideas) is LSE's foreign policy think tank. Through sustained engagement with policymakers and opinion-formers, IDEAS provides a forum that informs policy debate and connects academic research with the practice of diplomacy and strategy.
This panel is part of LSE IDEAS' Russia-Ukraine Dialogues. Given the recent escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war (24 February 2022), the conflict continues to be fluid and requires cross-disciplinary analysis. Fortnightly panels, scheduled for Tuesdays, will bring together in-house and external experts to report on and discuss the war’s impacts on various global issues.